The Jacksonville Jaguars know exactly what’s at stake when the 2025 NFL season kicks off. After years of stumbling out of the gate, Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen and his team are determined to reverse a trend—a tenor of slow starts that has often set the tone for disappointing Septembers.
A History That Can’t Be Ignored
For Jacksonville, the opening month has been more of a stumbling block than a springboard. Over the past six seasons, the Jaguars have compiled a 6-15 record in September. Their overall history in season openers tells a similar story: a 15-15 record all-time, with only four Week 1 victories in the past decade.
Last season offered another reminder of how much these early games matter. In the 2024 opener, the Jaguars fought hard but came up short in a 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins. That defeat didn’t just sting because it was close — it set a tone the team couldn’t fully recover from as the year wore on.
With a Week 1 matchup at home against the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville sees opportunity. Start strong, and the team can shed an old narrative. Start slow, and questions about consistency will resurface.
Coen’s First Test at the Helm
New head coach Liam Coen, hired after a stint as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, isn’t shying away from the significance of his first opener in charge.
“You’ve done so much work to get to this point and then now you’re into [the time when] the results truly matter,” Coen said at a press conference on September 1st. “We’ve talked so much about the process that drives results, that’s got us to this point.”
Still, Coen isn’t putting all the pressure on one game. His focus is on execution and the chase for improvement, rather than perfection.
“You’re more so anxious and excited to see how the guys go out and play,” he said. “You want to see perfect football, but we all know, it’s football, it’s not perfect. It’s an imperfect game and you’re striving for perfection, which is the chase. We’re all excited.”
Players Emphasize Momentum
The message from the locker room echoes the urgency of the coaching staff. Linebacker Foye Oluokun, named a team captain this week, didn’t hold back when asked about the opener, talking with the media on September 1st.
“I want to win this game as much as possible,” Oluokun said.
Jourdan Lewis, also a newly minted captain, connected Week 1 success to the bigger picture of an NFL season.
“Playing winning football in September, that means a lot,” Lewis said. “If you can get these games early and get on a roll – and understand your process and how you want to play games – it means a lot in the NFL. Momentum is a real thing in the NFL.”
Setting the Tone
The Jaguars don’t need to play perfect football against the Carolina Panthers, but they do need to play winning football. Starting 1-0 could give a team with playoff aspirations the momentum Lewis described. Falling to 0-1, however, would add yet another entry to a long list of missed early-season opportunities. For a franchise eager to reestablish itself as a contender, the message is clear: September has to look different this time around.
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